


Enouement

by Anonymous



Series: Elia Martell Fics [9]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon Divergence - Robert's Rebellion, Character Study, Discussions of infidelity, Elia Martell Lives, Examination of both worlds, Gen, Not Beta Read, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Two sad traumatised people helping each other, Unlikely Friendships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-07-18 16:35:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16122500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Right as Elia was about to be murdered, she fell through a portal into Stark Tower.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Random I know but if there's anyone who'll help Elia no matter what, it's Tony. English isn't my first language. While there isn't character bashing, both characters aren't going to think well of Steve and Rhaegar.

Tony was on the cool ground staring at the blindingly white tiles above him, listening to Dum-E move about the lab looking for something. It was not noon yet Tony was already bored and disinterested in his work. His suit was hanging at the centre of the laboratory because Tony was supposed to fix it. The problem was, it could not be fixed. It was too bulky, too broken, required too much work. For the first time in years Tony looked at his creation and felt dissatisfied with it as if he was looking at an old clunky cellphone. The suit was not good enough, far from it in fact. Changing the design was not enough, he needed something that was unlike anything he had ever made before.

"Boss," FRIDAY said suddenly. "There's something in your bedroom."

"What?" Tony sat up alarmed. His apartments were empty. Rhodey and Vision were at the Compound. "What is it?"

"A portal. Sir, something is coming out of it!"

One of Tony's spare suits engulfed him when he stood up and he flew up through a hole FRIDAY opened on the ceiling. The first thing Tony saw was that the portal was nothing like the one from four years ago. Then he noticed a shivering bumpy orange mass on the floor. When Tony looked back up, he saw through the wormhole a very large man wielding an actual sword that was dripping blood, staring dumbfounded at Tony. 

The mass on the floor moaned in pain. "Please," said a woman's voice softly. "They're only children."

A small, scared face peeked out from under the orange cloth and whimpered. Tony lifted his right gauntlet, pointed it at the man’s chest and fired. The child yelled at the sound and the woman trembled harder. As if it was waiting for that, the portal began closing rapidly.

"Hey," Tony said landing lightly. His suit began peeling away. "You're safe."

The woman lifted her head, looked at the suit and screamed. She scrambled away, pushing the toddler behind her. The shawl she was wearing fell away to show a wriggling baby tied to her chest.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Tony said. He was trying not to move.

"Lies! I don't know what that thing is but I recognise Lannister red when I see it," the woman hissed. She looked around desperately and despaired when she realised the door was behind Tony. “I’ll kill you if you come close.” She stood up and almost keeled over immediately.

Tony held up his hands. "Alright, alright. Look, I'll leave. I'll take my suit and I'll leave. Don't hurt yourself please." The suit closed around Tony, who then opened the door gently and walked purposefully to the elevator.

"She's watching you, Boss."

"Good. Now, look through missing persons and try to see if you can find out who she is and what a Lannister red means," Tony said.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly thought this story would 8000 words but it looks like it will be longer.

They found nothing. Tony's state of the art facial recognition software could not find this woman in any country at any moment. To be honest, Tony expected it. The man who attacked her wore a medieval armor and the room behind him did not resemble the modern one he left her in. 

Thrice a day, he sent a small, unassuming staff member to bring food for the children and the woman, who initially expected them to be poisoned. She only ate if the staff member took a bite out of everything.

"She says her name is Elia Martell of Dorne," FRIDAY said. "I think she prefers to be helped by women instead of men. She's pretty injured, Boss. I see burn marks, fractures on her ankles, one of her knees is swollen. Last night she cut herself and bled more than she should."

"Time we bring in a doctor," Tony murmured. It was hard enough to help this Elia bathe, she did not know how the bathroom worked initially and was too terrified to let someone else in with her.

Doctor Marjory signed her NDAs without hesitation. She made several trips from the medical labs with the staff members Elia trusted to bring machines to Tony’s bedroom in case Elia refused to leave.

"Hello, my name is Doctor Marjory. I'm here to examine you."

One of the women spoke up, "Remember what I said about things being different here? Doctors are people who help other people get better when they're sick."

Elia narrowed her eyes. "How do you know I'm sick?"

She hid her limp, exhaustion and pain very well in the presence of people.

"We don't," Marjory said. "It's just better to be safe than sorry."

Elia shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm very healthy."

"What about your children?" Marjory asked without looking at the children who were sleeping on the bed. "This isn't your world, Elia. We have our own diseases... diseases their bodies cannot fight off. I know you're scared, Elia. I know you have suffered. You have every right to fear us but please, let us help you."

"I... don't like maesters," Elia said. Tony watched the screen as her eyes stopped darting between the women and the door. "I never have. I was born too early and I've been sick ever since."

Marjory began tapping at her Starkpad. "How early? Eight months? Seven?"

"Eight. My brother Doran was sure I would die like my older brothers," Elia said, peering curiously at the tablet. Tony had withheld technology thinking it would overwhelm the woman but she had been relentless in figuring out the ones inside the bedroom.

"Explain the symptoms you presented. I am building a profile, a way of looking your history in order to see what is ailing you."

"Then you'll look at my body?"

"If you would allow me to, yes."

"You brought these... equipment while waiting for permission?" Elia asked sweetly.

"I was thinking it would save us time if you agreed. If you refuse, we'll take them back," Marjory replied. "Now, your symptoms." Elia listed them slowly. Sometimes stopping when she used a phrase Marjory did not understand. "And now you're twenty-six? Alright. You would describe your gender as female?"

"Yes, of course."

"In our world, we have multiple genders," Marjory explained with a chuckle.

Elia's eyebrows were raised. "Really? What are they? What's yours?"

"I'll write them down for you. Since you speak English, I'm assuming you can read in English. I am a woman, I just needed some assistance to present as such." Elia blinked in confusion. "I'm sure it's complicated to you. I'll explain on a different visit. For now I want to talk about your birth." Marjory set the tablet aside, sat down on one of the chairs and began explaining. "A lot of development occurs in the final month in the womb. By being born before that development took place and by being put in a place that could recreate the necessary environment, your body could not reach those final development stages required for a successful infancy. In your case, your immunity system, that is the part of your body that protects you disease, was weak hence your susceptibility to illness. Not only that, you seem to be anemic and hemophilic.”

"I'm not familiar with those words."

"Anemia is a deficiency of healthy red blood cells. These cells transport oxygen to all parts of your body. Oxygen is in the air that you breathe and it's extremely important for your organs to function. There are many causes of anemia which is why I am recommending that we draw blood from your body," Elia winced at this, "and perform tests. After that we'll see what treatment you require."

"Will it be painful? Will take long? I don't like leeches," Elia said sitting on the bed. "You'll do it today?"

"If you'll allow me," Marjory answered. “I’d like to start as soon as possible.”

"What's the other one? Hee-mo-philia?"

"In the blood, there's another blood cell called platelets. They help with blood clotting so you don't lose too much blood every time you get cut." 

Elia said sadly, "I don't have enough of that one either, do I?"

"No, you don’t. Hemophilia occurs when there is a deficiency of platelets. It can also be treated depending on the severity." Marjory paused until Elia nodded. “Fortunately, your case doesn’t sound severe. Apart from childbirth, the bleeding hasn’t caused you much harm. You just take a whole longer than most people to get a blood clot.”

"It's in my blood to be weak, Aerys told me. He was right after all," Elia said wryly.

"I don't know this man but he sounds like an ass," one of the women quipped.

"He'll have your head for that- the rest of your body too come to think of it. He liked to burn people alive," Elia explained when she got odd looks.

In a quiet voice, Marjory asked, "Did he burn you?"

"Not badly. I had spoken out of turn. It's healed," Elia replied. "You'll see when I undress."

"No need for that. You'll just show me where you're hurt or where you think there's a problem," Marjory said. Elia's tensed body relaxed.

"That's enough," Tony said. "That's all the confirmation I need." The screen switched off. Tony rubbed his eyes. "We need a therapist. Is the lab ready to process blood tests?"

"It is."

"Good. Order in all the drugs Marjory could possibly need."

O0O

Marjory was unhappy Tony had watched her work with Elia. "You should have waited for my assessment. It was bad enough there were three strangers in there too."

"Look, I wasn't sure if she was an alien or not. I don't have a great relationship with random portals opening above or in my Tower."

She sighed. "Don’t do it again,” she warned.  
“I won’t,” he promised. 

Marjory turned her Starkpad on. She said, “Rhaenys, the little girl, has a fever. Her blood results show influenza. I gave her painkillers and ordered Elia to give her food and water. She'll need a vaccine specific to that virus. Aegon's a bit malnourished so I'm giving him supplements along with baby formula.” She swiped the screen. “Elia's a bag of illnesses. I'm honestly surprised she gave birth twice so quickly, which means you need an OBGNY to examine her. She said she was told she could not have another child without dying. I want to know what went wrong. Her lungs are a bit small, keep an eye on her in case her breathing is laboured. Maybe have an oxygen tank nearby. I'm doing a full blood screening but I'm very interested in what the ANA will show. She could find no lumps or moles on her body but I'll rest easy when I do an MRI and x-ray tomorrow. I've given her some painkillers, the supplements you'll provide today. From now on, cut the sugar and fats, up the vegetables.”

"Okay," Tony said. "The burns?"

"It's healed," Marjory said. "She's been held hostage and tortured, Tony. She needs a therapist."

"On it," Tony said.

“I have taken fluid from her knee. She says it got swollen when she was pushed into the room she was attacked in a few days ago but I don’t want to take chances,” Marjory said. “As for her ankle, the x-ray will prove it but for now I want her in a brace.”

Later that evening, after the small family had eaten, Tony went to their floor making a lot of noises so that they knew he was coming. He found Elia sitting on the bed with her children behind her.

"You're not a lord," she said calmly. Tony found her facade impeccable. If he hadn’t seen her fear and confusion that first day, he would have fallen for it.

"I'm not."

"We're in a tower but not a castle," she said. "I tried looking out of the window but it darkened. Magic was something Rhaegar cared about more than I did but I doubt this is magic."

"I was assuming that you're not used to height we're at," Tony replied. "I didn't want to scare you…. Hi, my name is Tony Stark."

Elia was both amused and angry. "Not from House Stark." Her face became blank. "I'm sorry, I don't really like that name."

"That's fine," Tony said. "I don't like many names. Anyway I came here to say you can visit other parts of the apartment if you want. I'm working to open up the other floors."

"I can't leave, can I?"

Tony flinched at the tone and look on her face. "I know, I know, it's like being a prisoner. It's just that I'm 90% sure you're from a drastically different world from mine and that you would have an extremely hard time if you left. I was think first we make sure you're not dying and then you can learn about this world."

"Do you think I can go back to mine?" Elia asked. "I have brothers who would be looking for me."

"Maybe? I don't know."

"You don't know?" Elia began to snarl but she tampered it down. "You brought me here."

"I did not."

"I have seen what you can do, Tony Stark. I am no fool."

"I know I’m terribly smart but I didn't bring you here," Tony said. "I can do lots of things but open a gateway to an alternate universe? That's beyond me. There are others who maybe can do that. I'll reach out to them."

Elia closed her eyes. "Thank you.... I'd like nothing more than to see my brothers again."

"How long have you been a prisoner?" Tony asked despite himself. He found the glazed, haunted look on her face so familiar it was almost painful.

"Almost a year in King's Landing. When the war broke out, Targaryen guards made sure I couldn't leave Dragonstone," Elia replied. "Not that I could. Aegon's birth nearly killed me. I was too weak to do anything."

Tony whistled. "Much longer than me. I was held for three months."

Elia looked at him in surprised. "But you're so strong and you have that armor, how did anyone take you?"

"I built the suit- the armor- afterwards. Before that I was being escorted by soldiers when we were ambushed," he said. "I'm not saying this for sympathy. I just want you to know that I know what you're going through and I'll try to make sure you're comfortable. Hopefully soon we'll get you to your brothers."

"That's kind of you." She sounded like she wanted to believe him but could not put all her trust in him.

"It's really nothing. I'm sending you clothes since you're probably tired of wearing that. Books? Anything you're interested in?"

"Anything that will help me understand this world," Elia answered quickly.

"Fri, the list of books Thor and Steve were given," Tony said.

"Actual books or a Starkpad?" FRIDAY spoke.

Elia jumped a little at her voice and looked around. "Where is she?"

"Everywhere," Tony answered, gesturing carelessly. "She's an AI. The intelligence of a person without the body. Anything you need, you can ask. FRIDAY will only tell me if it's urgent."

"That is amazing," Elia said. She shifted which allowed Tony to see Rhaenys who was looking at the ceiling sleepily. "You made a person without birthing them first and put them inside your walls. You must be the smartest person in any world."

Tony, flattered, said, "You'd be surprised at how many smart people there are." He pointed at the TV on one of the walls. "That was invented by someone else before I born. Even the concept of FRIDAY isn't mine."

"Still," Elia said. Tony detected a hint of envy in her voice. "Is she your child since you made her?"

"Yes, like the others," Tony said. "I'll show you if you want. You can see my first one. He's called Dum-E because he isn't very bright."

Elia's eyes were lively. "You'll show me how to make one. When Oberyn came back from the Citadel, he taught me everything he learnt.... Well, as much as he could, he isn't a very good teacher."

"Citadel?"

"It's where the maesters go to earn the links in their chains," Elia explained. "They learn to be healers, astrologers... masters of war, ravenry, magic, and sums. Only men are allowed to join. Mother had Maester Caleotte teach me like he taught Doran but only Oberyn went further than that."

"You can learn whatever you want nowadays. FRI add entry level biology, chemistry, physics, calculus. Wait, no. Let’s make it basic level." To Elia he said, "We don't know how long you'll be here so why not?"

Elia flashed him a genuine smile for a moment. "Why are you doing this?" She asked peering at him with suspicious 

"I'm sorry?" Tony wondered what he said or did wrong.

"Helping me? In my home, I am Princess of Dorne and Dragonstone. You would gain so much from this but.... Here I am no one. I have nothing."

"You're not no one, Elia," Tony replied. "Besides helping people is what I'm supposed to do."

O0O

Marjory took Elia out of the bedroom she was holed in to the elevator after giving her a double stroller, as she refused to be separated from her children. Meanwhile Tony spent the day working on Stark phone specs and trying to reach Jane Foster. At one point, he went to the roof to yell for Heimdall and Thor. In the meanwhile FRIDAY tried to compile whatever data she could from the portal itself.

"Maybe we can make a machine that will tear open the fabric of space," Tony said while drinking his fifth cup of coffee. “Then we can figure out which universe is the right one.”

"Sir, Elia's requesting information on you," FRIDAY told him later that night. "Do I tell her everything or heavily edit the parts that make you look bad?"

"All of it.... Okay maybe not the sex tapes. The rest is fair game," Tony said. A second later he regretted it. Elia was already suspicious of him, she would be downright disgusted if she knew about his many exploits. He could not tell FRIDAY that he changed his mind. It would make him look pathetic.

The next day Tony left for Geneva where he spent the whole day answering questions about what happened in Germany and where he disappeared to afterwards. Unlike his previous hearings, Tony could not muster the ability to make a joke out of the situation. He felt tired and raw like an open wound. 

After it was over, he sat inside his car shaking. "Talk to me."

"About what, boss?"

"Anything."

"I introduced photographs to Elia and Rhaenys. She was having a slightly hard time believing what I told her about you," FRIDAY said. "Stark Industries share price is at three hundred dollars. It's holding steady so far. Rhodey's physical therapy session ended early so he could watch the hearing." Tony closed his eyes. "Vision spent less than an hour at that hole. I don't know what he did next, he flew very high above the Compound. Peter Parker sent another voicemail-"

"Play it," Tony said abruptly. 

A second later an enthusiastic adolescent voice started speaking. "Hello, Mr. Stark! It's me again. Peter Parker, I mean.... Thanks for the phone by the way! I really appreciate it. I took a couple of pic- nah, you probably don't want to see them…. Anyway, I saved a kid's ice-lolly today. Sorta, I caught it with the web and he didn't want it. Can't say I blame him, it was really watered down. Good luck on your hearing! Let me know if you need anything."

Tony grimaced. "Anything from Pepper?"

"Apart from the e-mail you already read? No."

"Of course not," he said quietly. "Might as well go back to the Tower.” He drove to the airport and flew back alone inside his jet.

O0O

Tony was sweating and covered in grease when Elia limped into the lab. The swelling on her knee was doing better and her ankle was bandaged.

"How are you feeling?" He said as she stared open mouthed at his holograms. "Shouldn't you be resting your leg?"

"I have grown restless. The moving stairs- elevators, I think- are a joy."

"Glad you're having fun," Tony said sincerely. "You are doing better?"

"Much better than ever before. The medicine I was given has removed pain and fatigue from my body. The mae-doctor said I don't have any autoimmune disease," she said distracted. She went to the hologram and put her hands through. "Oh! It's not really here."

"It's a projection. Like the photographs FRIDAY showed but in three dimensions."

"Can you make one of me?" Elia said. A moment later, she was facing an exact copy of herself. She clapped in delight. The hologram imitated her. "That I do not like. Too uncanny.... How difficult was it to make it without Friday’s help?"

Tony tried to remember his first hologram. "Not hard. I mean, all the elements I needed were there."

"It would take me a lifetime," Elia said with envy.

"Obviously," Tony said offhandedly. At the offended look on her face, he rushed to explain. "What I meant is that for every invention, there's a lot of steps humanity has to take to get there. We needed the camera before we got to the television. The telephone came before the radio. To make a hologram, you'd need all those four, plus electricity, plus computers, so on and so forth. It's not that you specifically are unintelligent- you really are by the way- it's that... if I was born 600 years ago, doesn't matter how brilliant I am, I can't do it either."

"That might very well be true." Elia picked up an oily screw driver, touched the oil and sniffed it. "It smells a little familiar.... My world is so stagnant that I'm afraid it would take a thousand years to make the light bulb- was it? I keep thinking I'm not pronouncing these words well."

"No, you're saying it right," Tony said. "No society is that stagnant."

"It is possible," FRIDAY said. "There are some indigenous groups living like their ancestors. It all depends on need. If you need it, you’ll find a way for it to exist."

"So change is brought about by necessity?" Elia grew silently thoughtful for a period. "My House is two thousand years old. I've read my great, great grandmother's account of her life and it's not different from mine apart from Rhaegar abandoning me for another woman. Sarella would never have allowed that to happen to her."

"Rhaegar is?"

"My husband," Elia answered. "Was my husband. He was killed a few days back in battle."

"Oh. My condolences," Tony replied. Elia's eyes grew wet briefly. "Though, just to put my foot in my mouth, he doesn't sound like a great guy."

"He was," Elia said sadly. "Once, I thought I was the luckiest woman in all the kingdoms. He cared more about his books than brothels. He never hit me when we had disagreements and he let me manage our island without much of a fuss."

"That’s a very low bar- I mean, that’s the bare minimum. I shouldn't judge," Tony realised. "I'm not good with relationships either."

"I noticed. Did you really leave a woman you meant to marry in your place of worship to go drinking?"

"Don't remind me," Tony said frowning. "I was a pathetic ass. Honestly, she underreacted."

"She tried to run you over with a car," FRIDAY said. "That's the definition of overreacting."

"FRI, you're still young. Wait until the hormones hit you, then you’ll understand."

Elia looked like she was remembering something. "A car is a horseless carriage, isn't it? This world has too many things," she whispered the last part. Out loud she asked, "What would have done to you?"

"Killed me," Tony said.

"Killed him," FRIDAY said at the same time.

Elia gasped. "Surely it would have led to her own death by execution. Didn’t she care?"

Tony shook his head. "Prison. I don't see her getting the death penalty anywhere. I’m famously dislikeable. Besides, it happened in California, right? Some years in prison then parole."

"Aerys would have had me executed if he even suspected I harbored such thoughts," Elia said. "Your father is unusually merciful."

"My parents are dead," Tony said. "Have been for twenty-five years now."

"Oh. You have no siblings, do you? Even bastard ones?"

"No. Only child."

"What of friends?"

"I had Rhodey. I hadn't met Happy or, or Pepper then," Tony said with a weak smile. 

"Who would have avenged you if you had died?" Elia asked in a small voice. Suddenly, Tony could not bear to look at her.

"The justice system," Tony said cheerily. He picked up a screw and threw it. "FRIDAY must have explained it. I've been to prison multiple times."

"I could only remember so much," Elia told him apologetically. "Maybe tomorrow she'll me how someone as wealthy and powerful as you became imprisoned."

Tony was confused for a second. Then, it made sense. "Feudalism. Shit, I keep forgetting that you have feudal lords and shit.... You've started on the books?"

Elia nodded, smiling brightly for a short while. "It was difficult to read with the... tablet?" Tony found it cute how she said words she never encountered before. "It hurt my eyes. The books are much better. They are for children so I read them to Rhaenys. It's interesting that we speak, read and write the same language. English and the Common Tongue, from two different worlds! I wonder what else is possible. Maybe my present and your past are similar."

"We did have feudalism but for a much short time," FRIDAY said. "Unless your House is unusually old."

"No, the Starks are much older," Elia nearly spat the name. "They say they are eight thousand years old."

"Eight thousand?" Tony whistled. "No offense but I don't believe it. Two thousand is stretching it already but eight?"

"It is true. Their House built the Wall eight thousand years ago after the Long Night."

"And the Long Night is...?"

"When the Others attacked the living and nearly wiped us out. We aligned with the Children of the Forest and beat them back." 

"Eight thousand years ago? I suppose it's not harmful to have myths-"

"It's not a myth," Elia snapped. "The Wall exists. It's seven hundred feet tall and hundreds of miles of ice separating the kingdoms from where the Others came from. The Night's Watch mans it and there have been almost a thousand Lord Commanders. Explain that."

"You've seen the Wall?" Tony asked interested. "It's covered in ice or made of ice."

"I haven't seen it. Mother refused to let me go north in case I got sick," she said. "Many people have. It's known the world over because of its size and that it is made up entirely of ice."

"It hasn't melted once?"

"The North is a land of winter. They have snow years into the summer."

Tony blinked. "What?"

"Her world has seasons that last years," FRIDAY said. 

"Do you have multiple suns or what?" Tony asked.

"Only one," Elia answered. "Why?"

"How long is a day? How many days do you have in a year? It's not possible to have seasons lasting that long unless your planet is ridiculously humongous," Tony replied. "Years. No wonder your serfs haven't had a revolution. They're probably having a Black Plague level crisis every few years."

"We have 380 days in a year. I don't know if the days are the same, I can't tell the difference between night and day even when Friday tells me. Also what is the black plague and serfs?"

Before Tony could react, DUM-E finished recharging and went directly for Elia. He beeped excitedly and pursued her when she backed away.

"Hey, that is not how we treat guests," Tony yelled over the noise.

"Dum-E, leave Elia alone," FRIDAY scolded. Dum-E stopped moving but kept beeping.

"No, she's not related to Pepper. Calm down."

Elia had her hand pressed to her chest and was standing behind a table. Slowly she walked towards the robot. She touched his arm and started beeping back at him. Dum-E happily responded. Soon they were having the oddest conversation Tony ever heard.

The next day, Elia came back with a cane. Tony had been working on the suit to clear his mind. There was schematics for another generation of suits all over the large laboratory.

Elia was awed at the armor. "I have never seen anything like this, could have never imagined it. You built it all by yourself and flew it. _Flew it!_ To the skies and beyond." Her voice was breathy and short, if Tony wasn't seeing the excitement on her face, he would have been worried. "I have heard of men of iron but none like you Tony Stark."

"Aww shucks."

"Did you know you were going to return? From that hole you entered?"

"No. I thought I would die," he admitted.

"And it would have become coffin. A marvelous feat of intelligence incasing you for all eternity. What better way to die is there?"

Tony shivered. "At home with your loved ones. Space... is cold, dark and empty. I wouldn't wish that anyone."

"But isn't it a glorious death?" She asked puzzled. "People would remember you for centuries. Why do you fear it so much?"

Tony narrowed his eyes. "I'm starting to think the world you lived in has a different understanding of just how much death sucks."

FRIDAY piped up. "Fear of death is natural, Elia. Near death experiences are traumatic meaning they are very distressing."

"Oh. I hadn't really thought of that." Elia became quiet, clearing thinking of someone else. "We celebrate men fighting for glory. The tragedy is when women and children are killed or left behind.... It's fascinating, this trauma you speak of. I was terrified before I fell into your tower. It was an awful feeling...." In a soft voice, she said, "I wonder if Rhaegar felt the same way."

Tony suddenly remembered something he had been meaning to bring up. "There are people for that. Doctors like Marjory but for the mind. I've been meaning to arrange one for you."

"For me?" Elia's eyebrows were raised. "Why? I'm perfectly fine."

"Do-" Tony pushed his chair away from the suit to look at Elia. "Elia, do you have trouble sleeping? Do you get constantly scared that something terrible is about to happen? Are there moments in which you feel like you're back in that castle even though you’re here?"

Elia's eyes became glassy for a minute. "I'm not home, of course I'm scared."

"What about before you came here? Did you feel any of that?"

"Aerys is a mad man. He burnt many people alive, he rapes women and beats his wife. Anyone would be frightened," Elia replied. "It doesn't mean I am sick. I have not lost my wits."

"It's not-"

"Please, let's not talk about that anymore," Elia said sternly.

Tony nodded his head. "What do you want to talk about?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, I want the both of them to get to know each other a bit. The next chapter will have more soul baring goodness. I also wanted to show Elia's intelligence. She's basically that Rhodey scene from Iron Man 3 when he encounters fire producing men and just rolls with it. They'll be more Stony and Rhaegar in the next chapters.


	3. Chapter 3

It became common for Elia to come to Tony's lab several times a day. Sometimes, they ate lunch together. Elia marveled at the sheer number of vegetables and fruits his world had. While she understood modifying food to make certain aspects more prominent, after all they did it her world too, the sheer scale surprised her. They mostly talked about technology and how everything from electricity to texting worked. Tony's throat was often sore from all the nonstop talking that he did. Not once did Elia ask him to shut up or roll her eyes (unless he made a bad joke), only asking him to explain himself better or to pause while she dealt with a recovering Rhaenys and a hyper Aegon. Soon, Tony's knee jerk apologies for rambling became less automatic.

Slowly, Elia began telling him about her life, more specifically what led to the Rebellion. Today they were eating a salad Elia had put together. Tony found the taste to be weird but he pretended to enjoy it just to bring a smile on her face. The stove made her jump when she turned it on using FRIDAY's instructions which explains why the vegetables were barely roasted. That and the fact that she had dozens of cooks working for her in all the castles she lived in. Still it gave her something to do and the YouTube video that had the recipe helped acclimate her to videos and television. While they ate, she explained how the Rebellion started.

"He put the roses on this wisp of a girl- fourteen years old I think- while I sat there with his first born and pregnant with the second child in a year and a half." Elia stopped to add more chili to her asparagus. "Tell me what you think that says about me and my babies?"

Tony blinked. "Fourteen years? Of age or fourteen years since she turned five."

"Of age of course."

"Uh Elia... not to ruin your rant or the validity of your anger but that's a child."

She shook her head. "No, she's not."

"Yes, she is. Fourteen years old means a child. We don't let them drink and drive."

"We're not allowed to be children," Elia snapped bitterly. "The moment you flower, you're a woman. As far as everyone is concerned she's a woman. I can't think differently."

"But you can. You can make the choice to see your husband as a creep who went after a defenseless child."

"Because!" Elia snarled. "She isn't one to my children. It is my responsibility to secure their inheritance just like it was my responsibility to give birth to them my health be damned. A child of hers is a threat to both of my children."

"Wouldn't they be bastards? I thought bastards couldn’t inherit anything."

"Doesn't matter. My children are Dornish, Rhaenys more than Aegon because she takes after me." Elia rubbed her eyes. "A century ago, a Martell married a Targaryen King. So many people were angered by this. Very few like the Dornish outside of our borders. They hated Mariah's children though they were good people, accused us of gaining too much favour in the court without any evidence." Elia's face was twisted in a kind of pain that was familiar. He had seen it on Rhodey's face multiple times. 

"The other kingdoms knelt to the Dragons but Dorne resisted. We bled, we suffered and we succeeded. They married us to get the final kingdom on the continent and it frustrated the rest of them. When the king's bastard- the previous king, not the one who married Mariah- received the last remaining Targaryen Valyrian sword, Daemon named himself after the sword and he left for Tyrosh. Soon he was claiming to be the true king and despite everyone's abhorrence for bastards, he had supporters. That's how much they hated us." Elia looked at Tony for the first time since the speech started. "They would break social convention to see us die, even monsters like the Tyrells, who gleefully killed thousands of us with the Targaryens during the attempts to conquer Dorne…. She's not merely a child, not any more. It took five Blackfyre rebellions, all of them fought because the Targaryens now had Dornish blood in them, for Blackfyre threat to be finally over. I have to protect and fight for my children. I can't sympathize or worry about that girl."

"I guess it's not as easy as I thought," Tony admitted. "I'm sorry I upset you."

"It's not you, it's them. Did I tell you what Aerys said when he saw Rhaenys for the first time? He said, "She smells Dornish." Now her father died fighting for a woman who is as far from being Dornish as possible. It will be so hard to reinstate the Targaryens after this."

"Because your children are as much Martell as they are Targaryens."

"Yes but I have try. Even if I fail, at least I tried. They'll know that I loved them, that I cared about their future, that... I'm nothing like their father."

After a minute, Tony said, "If it's any consolation, your husband would be in jail in this world."

"Actually," FRIDAY said, "statistically, he would have gotten away with it, even without his status."

"Oh, damn. Forgot that we sucked too. In theory, he'd be in jail."

"I don't want that. My children need their father as protection," Elia said disinterested in her food. 

After a brief moment of silence, Elia pushed her plate away. "Oh, I forgot to ask you. Do you really have a hole in your chest?"

"Not anymore," Tony said. "I put an artificial sternum- the bone that connects the two ribs- over it."

"Making bones and organs... no one would believe me if I told them. Does it hurt?"

"Not always," Tony said truthfully. "It's like having a dull ache all the time."

"I am sorry your friend did that to you," Elia said. She touched Tony's arm gently. He almost sighed at how good it felt. "He had no right. Those weapons, your wealth, they weren't his to steal. Friday told me about his second attack on you. It must have been terrible. I don't know how you can stand to have a stranger like me here."

"It's really no big deal," Tony replied. Most of his focus was on her warm palm.

"You're an uncommon man," Elia said.

"No, I think you've met too many messed up people. Anyone would help you if they saw you."

"Anyone?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Most people."

Obviously not believing him, Elia smiled. Tony thought her eyes were pretty and honest but so was Steve's. All Tony had left of him was a bruise on his chest and a worthless suit of armor.

"Who are you thinking about?" Elia asked.

"You're far too discerning," Tony replied. "Discerning? Shit you have me talking like you do, all fancy like."

"You sound like the smallfolk do, yet you are very wealthy."

"I am an enigma.” Tony shrugged slowly. “There are folks on the same level as me who talk like you do but the rest of us shove them into lockers." Tony took a sip of warm wine. "Tell me about your shitty husband."

"He's not that awful."

"He plays the harp. Anyone who plays the harp deserves to be shoved into a locker. Maybe even two."

Elia was fighting a smile.

O0O

Another hearing, this time in front of Congress. The questions were sharper. It was no secret that Tony pissed off DC and all its lobbyists. Fortunately for Tony, he had more technical knowledge about the Accords and his suits than everyone inside the room combined. After five hours of lying, dodging attacks, feigning ignorance and answering truthfully, they were almost done.

"Dr. Stark, do you know where the rogue team members are at this very moment?"

Tony had ideas. He knew they were in Wakanda for a time. They have gone underground and beside the letter and phone, there was no sign they were even alive.

"If I did," Tony replied, "I'd turn them in."

On the way to the hotel, Tony got a message from Rhodey. It was a simple thumbs up but it made him feel better. At some point Tony will have to explain Elia to Rhodey but for now he wanted his friend to heal undisturbed by Tony's problems.

O0O

As Elia explored more and more of the Tower, she came less frequently to see Tony is his lab. With Pepper's formal e-mails, Rhodey's visiting his family and Vision's long flights from the Compound, Tony was left with his work and his thoughts where he frequently thought about the year they all spent in the Tower. All of them except for Vision, who hadn’t been created yet. He was so excited for each mission. They were almost better than the ones he flew with Rhodey, only this in time Tony did it with a proper team. The only dark spot was the niggling feeling that he did not really belong. Sometimes after a botched mission or a mistake here and there, Tony wondered if any of them would be there if the Tower, jets and weapons didn't exist, if he was merely Iron Man. The parties, the training sessions, the banter as Thor liked to call it, they gave Tony a thrill that Ultron hadn’t managed to crush completely. 

One Tuesday, he went on a tour in a newly opened factory in Congo. He took a lot of pictures and got the uncomfortable feeling of being watched. On a Thursday, he delivered half a dozen plans to Pepper, though he left when it got too awkward. The next Saturday, he explained everything that happened to an astonished Rhodey, who wanted to meet Elia immediately. Tony promised to ask Elia as soon as he could. He figured it was better than just bringing someone she did not know without warning. As Tony was leaving Rhodey’s childhood home, Elia sent a text message she had typed out herself including a wildly inappropriate set of emojis.

After that, she began visiting Tony again. Sometimes she brought the children. Rhaenys had her mother's curiosity. She asked a hundred questions about a screwdriver and a dozen about Tony's beard. After an unfortunate accident, Tony found out that Rhaenys hated fire, shouting or anyone with white hair. Tony did not know who he was angrier at, Rhaegar or his father. From that moment, FRIDAY kept a close eye on all heat sources and visitors. Marjory’s favourite nurse had to wear a hat to hide his hair before taking Rhaenys’ temperature and weight.

Aegon was learning to walk and could only be brought inside if Tony childproofed everything three times over. Somehow for a baby his size and with a mother that observant, Aegon found a way into dangerous spots. Once he got inside a metal tube meant for a rocket. One heart stopping moment saw him drinking what Tony assumed was grease but turned out to be a Dum-E smoothie. They still took him to the doctor just in case. Tony never thought he was a child person, even Peter caused moments of anxiety but he liked Elia’s kids especially since she was very pro-active and required little from Tony.

"I know everything about you, Tony Stark," she called out one day from the entrance of the lab.

"Took you long enough," Tony retorted with a smile.

"Most things," Elia amended. "What are the Accords?"

Just like that, Tony's smile was wiped away. "You don’t want to hear it. It's so boring."

"A band of knights... disbanding can never be boring," Elia said. She was in a very good mood. Her leg problems were dealt with and the treatments she was on clearly worked judging by the weight she put on.

"I promise it's very boring. We disagreed over the law. What's more boring than the law?"

"Jousting," Elia said. "I told about how I came to be separated from my husband. Tell me about the Accords."

Tony did with great discomfort that Elia picked up on. They were caught in a peculiar loop of her asking questions and Tony answering them, neither willing to stop for some reason.

"FRI must have told you about the serum-"

"That gives strength and endurance to ordinary men, yes."

"Well, Hydra gave a version of this to James Barnes, then they made him subservient to them." Tony only knew some of the tortures the man was subjected to afterwards. "They electrocuted, starved and froze him until he did whatever they wanted. He killed so many of their enemies and no one knew until Steve and Natasha found out. They brought Hydra down, exposed its existence to the world. We spent the next year hunting them down in all parts of the world.” Tony paused to take a cup from Dum-E. “I tried to help Steve find James but he was always reluctant which made no sense, I had the resources and Steve was my friend." Tony exhaled and pretended to look for a screw just to gain composure. "You know about the Accords and how it ended. Everyone does. I never told anyone else what really happened when I went to find Steve, after Germany -the part where, like idiots, we all fought each other."

"It wasn't idiotic. You were fighting for something."

"It was pointless," Tony gritted out. "We could have and should have talked it out but we didn't."

Elia said hesitantly, "Did you try to discuss it?"

"I did or at least I tried. I reached out but Steve... he made up his mind and not a damn thing I could say could change it," Tony replied bitterly. "Not a single thing."

"You found Steve?" Elia prompted.

"In Siberia. It's like the North but Russian so I had to be stealthy," Tony answered. "Everything was going well then I found out that my parents did not die in a car accident.” Tony grinned at Elia. “Cars are hard to drive. You have to have a clear mind to do it. My dad- father- he liked to drink and when they told me about the car crash, I thought, "He killed my mum." I lived with that knowledge for two decades." Tony's eyes were stinging. "My father killed my mother. Every time someone talked about how great Howard was, I'd think about how scared my mum was. Then, Zemo, who orchestrated everything, played a video and I watched it. I saw James in the video shooting at the car. It crashed like I knew it did…. Then he dragged my father out and beat him until he died." Elia's hand moved from her mouth to Tony's shoulder. "My mother called out for my father. She loved him, I never understood why but she loved him. James went to her and strangled her.... I always thought she must have been scared. I always hoped she died too quickly... but she didn’t."

"Steve knew," Elia said in a hoarse voice. Her face was wet with tears.

"He did."

Suddenly Tony was being hugged tightly. He wrapped his arms around Elia. A while later he realised he was sobbing.

"Thank you," he told her afterwards. He was too embarrassed to look at her.

"I hope it comforts you to know that I think Steve is a fiend. If Oberyn was here, I'd tell him to teach that man a lesson."

"Aww, you don't have to. I'm sure Steve loves me deep, deep down," Tony said.

"Don't you deserve to be loved openly by someone who wouldn't hurt you?" Elia asked.

"Don't you?" Tony retorted. Tony sneezed and wiped his face. "I guess I don't need therapy. I can just dump all my issues on you."

Elia looked at the wet spot on her t-shirt dispassionately. "This Steve of yours-"

"He wasn't mine," Tony said hastily. Then he winced. "I, uh, meant that-"

Elia's eyebrows furrowed then she understood. "Oh. Well...."

"If you're about to go on a homophobic rant, please don't."

"I... did you tell him?" She peered at Tony's face. "You did, didn't you? You were trying to change his mind by telling him. Oh Tony," she said like it was the saddest thing she ever heard.

Tony never liked pity from anyone. "Look, I'm not going-"

Elia wasn't listening. She was trembling and had curled her fingers into fists. "Don't you worry, Tony. I shall find you a handsome man worthy of you."

"What? No. Why?"

"Why?" She turned her furious eyes at Tony. "You are kind, intelligent, possibly the best man I have ever met and if we cut that beard, you'd be very handsome. If anyone deserves to be cherished, it's you."

"I agree," FRIDAY said.

"And it will ensure that you don't waste any time longing for that liar."

"He thought I would hurt his friend if I found out," Tony said.

"Of course, you would have!" Elia shouted. It was so much louder than her usual tone that Tony's eyes widened. "What kind of son would you have been if you didn't try to bring justice for your parents?"

"Especially if the killer was right there," FRIDAY added.

"Stop goading her," Tony said to the nearest camera. To Elia, he said, "That's why he didn't tell me. I couldn't be rational about it."

FRIDAY, clearly in a rebellious mood, said, "What about the Accords? He defied dozens of countries because he thinks he knows better. If people tell you not to come into their country as part of a paramilitary organisation, then don’t go into their country."

"I do agree with Steve Rogers on that account," Elia said. "Knights must go wherever they're needed."

"In your world, yes but in ours, terrible things happen when powerful foreigners fight within your borders." FRIDAY's Irish accent was getting more pronounced. "There's a whole history behind the Accords."

"But if they are helping people, does it matter? I think it's worse if no one does anything."

"I think we should let people help themselves if that's what they want," FRIDAY replied. "If a country wants the Avengers to help with a problem, they can ask for it."

"Yes, they can but what if they are too late? What if they’re not strong enough?" Elia had her hands on her waist. "I'm sorry but I've seen what impartial men do. They encourage the worst men to act without fear of consequences."

"But that is assuming that those countries don't have their own heroes, their own knights..."

Well, Tony thought watching the two debate, at least his feelings for Steve were forgotten. For that moment at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finals time so the next chapter will take a while. Somehow I'll finish this story in one last chapter. I hope. Anyway I enjoy crossovers where the characters are allowed to have differing opinions and even make mistakes with regards to each other. I tried that here based on the worlds Tony and Elia occupy as well as their own experiences.
> 
> Tell me what you think. I love comments!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> English is not my first language. Expect mistakes

FRIDAY got the bright idea to eat food from each country in the world, partly to help integrate Elia and the children more and partly to find the closest type of food to the Dornish ones she spoke of fondly. They started with American apple pies, moved on to Detroit style pizzas which Elia loved more than Chicago style.

"That's a betrayal," Tony said eating his third slice. "The worst kind."

The Nebraska friend chicken was so hot Tony became delirious laughing at everything. Elia ate her portion and picked at Tony's.

"Dornish peppers are stronger," she explained daintily wiping her mouth.

Ricotta lasagna made with Tony's mother's recipe was a success but tartiflette and baked stuffed brie was panned by everyone except Rhaenys who would eat anything. The Portuguese custard tarts looked simple until the custard burned black on the cupcake tray. Afterwards, Tony ordered some Thai while one of the nannies made something for Aegon. Shakshuka was apparently similar to a Dornish dish named deviled eggs which of course meant that Tony had to make their version of deviled eggs. 

In the months that followed, they all mainly ate North African dishes, though Tony slipped in bruschetta a few times. More and more Mediterranean cuisine started being introduced and eventually Eastern European dishes made appearances. Rhaenys adored baklava, not even threats of rotting teeth stopped her for whining for more. Aegon, oddly enough, disliked sweets. He was now two and a half years old but he did not scrunch his nose at vegetables like his older sister did.

"I thought I understood kids," Tony said watching the boy struggle with a plastic fork.

"Oberyn was like that too," Elia said. 

Whipped cream in a can was a novelty that drew Aegon in a few times. It turned out that the sounds were more appealing than the taste and so FRIDAY and Elia started making a playlist of noises he enjoyed. This brought attention to the bed sheets he dragged off his bed every day after Elia tucked him in, preferring to lie on the soft duvet, his repeated viewings of specific scenes on TV and his fixation on horses.

"I don't know much about children or I would have put it all together sooner," FRIDAY said apologetically.

"What?" Elia asked watching Tony put new bed sheets. “Put what together?”

"He might be autistic," FRIDAY answered. 

Aegon looked on happily. "Dada," he said to Tony.

"Daddy," Rhaenys corrected.

Elia jumped a little and then froze. Tony raised his hands. "I'm sorry," Tony said. "I didn't mean for it happen."

"It's fine," she said tightly. "I just didn't expect it. It's been a while since...."

In the living room, Elia took Tony by the elbow. "Have you found a way back to my home?"

"I'm trying," Tony answered. He spent half his time on it, the other half was all about Stark Industries, Rhodey, Iron Man and the Martell family.

"How long will it take? Be honest."

"A long while, even if I find what brought you here." Elia blinked rapidly. "Don't cry. You'll see your brothers again. I promise."

"A promise that is difficult to keep... I don't want that. Just please keep trying." Elia hugged Tony briefly before rushing towards Rhaenys.

 

O0O

Elia was flying through her lessons with FRIDAY. Slowly more and more of their conversations involved science, history and politics. She was both disgusted and thrilled by feminism. On Hanukkah, Tony had a terse conversation that had none of the camaraderie that was present when he explained the Exodus. Tony liked to think that it was this discussion that softened Elia to democracy though she still felt feudalism was the right system. 

One winter day while Tony penciled Rhaenys' height on a white wall, Elia opened a knitting kit for children and prepared it for Rhaenys. Tony was having an off day and was content to watch Elia teach Rhaenys about the different needles. Then, like every evening, Elia knitted something to relax. The hat Tony was wearing was made in a few days. Aegon's thick, soft sweater had a red horse on the front and a yellow one on the back. He kept removing the sweater and putting it backwards depending on his mood. 

"Aegon likes it more than Rhaenys," Tony pointed out. While Rhaenys kept leaving the sofa, Aegon sat close to his mother while she worked.

"He is not supposed to. One day," Elia said to the toddler in a soft voice, "you'll be a knight and your sister will be a great princess."

"Elia," Tony needled. "Gender roles."

"They exist for reason," Elia said shortly. "People need to know their place."

"It won't hurt him if he played with Rhaenys toys."

"It would. They'll call him soft and go to war against him. Daeron the Good didn't care for women's work and yet people flocked to Daemon Blackfyre. Aegon has to be strong, so strong that no one can question his legitimacy."

"Alright," Tony conceded.

The first time Tony took the family for a drive was in a realistic simulation. The speed was slow though the simulation was meant to replicate the feeling of a carriage ride. As the days went on, the speed increased and Tony began turning around round-a-bouts and hitting the brakes a bit more abruptly. Eventually, the three of them left the Tower for the first time for a walk while Tony's new invisible suits hovered above them. They strolled around in awe at the building and the people, bought tacos without Tony's help and got inside a taxi to get back to the Tower. It was a minor miracle that Rhaenys hadn't run away the moment an opportunity arose. Elia still refused to have Rhaenys tagged so she could be tracked.

On Fridays, Elia took the children to the smallest pool in the Tower and taught them to swim like she did when she was their age. Tony quickly built bots that would make sure neither children drowned. If his work was done early, Tony would use the jacuzzi a few feet away.

They ate together, went to the park a few times a month, knitted in the evening, watched movies in the afternoon and swam in the pools. Sometimes they went for an actual drive. It became the norm for months. Steve kept popping up but he always disappeared before Tony could catch him. Curiously the urge to talk to him, to let him explain, to hold him, grew weaker and weaker as Rhaenys demanded her height be measure every day and Aegon clung to Tony's legs. On his third birthday, Tony gifted him a puppy while Rhaenys got a kitten for Christmas.

One day when Tony finally made an energy source powerful enough to power a machine that could tear through space and time, he went down to Elia's new floor with Doctor Marjory.

"What's wrong?" Elia asked as soon as she saw them.

"I'm closer to bringing you home," Tony said. "I'm kind of worried about your health. I want for you to get a full- I mean very comprehensive- checkup so I can come up with medicine you can take with you."

"I'm fine with that. The children too? You could check their genes and see what they might get in the future?"

"Brilliant idea," Tony replied.

"Of course," Marjory said at the same time.

This task proved easy considering the fact that Stark Pharmaceuticals had poured billions of research into the idea already. 

The peace was disturbed when a woman named Carol Danvers landed in the Compound. Tony knew in his bones that Thanos was not far off. An icy fear gripped his damaged heart and would not let go, only growing colder every time Aegon hugged his leg, whenever Rhaenys climbed anything that could be climbed or when Elia sat by the kitchen counter and wrote in her many notebooks. How will he win with only Rhodey and Vision? Suddenly the anger he felt every time he remembered Siberia started feeling insignificant when compared to the nightmares he had of the children dying while he watched. Tony found the flip phone and he sent a message.

O0O

Rhodey went to Scotland on Tony's behalf. He was more popular with the Europeans than Tony and though Tony could ignore his parents' murder long enough to reach out, he could not walk into Steve's safe house for a chat. In the meanwhile, Tony asked his lawyers and PR department to make sure the former Avengers members got pardoned. He made a file filled with every piece of evidence of Thanos' existence including Thor's own testimony, something Tony had been working on since the Avengers imploded, and he sent it to his contact in the CIA. Then he sat Elia down and told her about it.

"That sounded like Rhaegar's rumblings," she whispered, pale and shaking. "He said monsters we never vanquished have woken up again to bring humanity to its knees. He said he dreamt it. Every night since he could remember."

"I hope he was wrong," Tony said. If both of their worlds were in danger, where he could take them?

"What will we do? They said you were weapons smith. Perhaps you can make something strong enough...."

Tony wiped the sweat from his forehead. "I'm working on something. I'll get you away before he comes."

"No, no, forget about me. You need to destroy this Titan. There are more people in your world than mine a hundred times over." Tony held her dry, trembling hands and tried not to feel overwhelmed. 

After a while, FRIDAY realised it would be impossible to make pills that could last a lifetime since Elia would have carry them everywhere. The mission changed to nanobots that would release the chemicals directly. Tony's latest suit was made up entirely of nanobots which meant he only had to read up medicine. While Tony read large textbooks on diseases, Rhodey stood in front of Congress testifying on behalf of Steve's team. Rhaenys was growing taller than most girls her age while Aegon got rounder even after he learnt to ride a bicycle.

Tony's satellite picked up distress signals from Asgard's star system as the year was ending. It was probably Loki destroying Jotunheim. Tony could not remember the exact date Thor said it happened but for some reason, ten years seemed like the approximate date and the star system was ten light years away. He let JOCASTA decode the signal anyway.

In the New Year, Tony injected the first doses of nanobots into Elia and her children. The next day he injected the next two doses when none of them had an allergic reaction. 

Unfortunately, one of Tony's leads into dimension hoping ended up making what he suspected was nuclear fusion. A portal did open briefly. FRIDAY's cameras showed a stretch of dry grass. The data generated was too much for Tony alone to analyze, he had to assemble a large team of physicists to get through it before he could attempt to replicate it.

O0O

Rhodey brought the rogue Avengers home in the spring. Tony had every intention of being in the Compound to lend support to Rhodey in front of the press but he had opened another portal and glimpsed a man who looked vaguely similar to Elia with a scar across half his face and a long white cloak.

"It's Uncle Lewyn!" Elia whooped and jumped into Tony arms. "He died! You must have seen him before.... I could go back before it all went wrong." She stepped back. There were tears on her cheeks.

It took a week before Tony could try again. This time, the portal held as Tony used three large arc reactors, nuclear fusion and the infinity battery. This time he saw the monstrous throne Elia had described. Ten minutes later, it collapsed.

"I found the right universe I think or something close to but the timing is off and I haven't found a way to get back. I have to make sure they're safe and it is the right universe," Tony said. "What if they don't exist in this one? What Elia died? What if the rebels have made their way into the castle?"

"God, Tony, I look away for one second and you're making interdimensional portals," Rhodey said, "and without telling me too. Man, I thought we were friends."

"I'm telling you now. Bring your big brain here and help. I'm sure Wanda can blow up statues of me without your help."

The fifth attempt had both Elia and Rhodey in the reinforced viewing room with Tony. When the portal formed, Elia pressed her face to the glass.

"That's Jon Connington," she exclaimed. "I hate him. Look he has the Hand's pin on his doublet. Can he see us?"

He did see them. Tony cut the power quickly. "We still need more information. We'll compare data from each opening and make sure we're looking at the right universe."

"FRIDAY has readings from the first time, doesn't she? When the Princess fell through?" Rhodey asked.

"Yes but it's not enough."

"Tony, it could be. I'll go downtown to talk to Stephen Strange. He knows all about portals."

"Another scientist?"

"A sorcerer. Supreme Sorcerer or the other way around. I don't know, Steve knows him.... I'll call when we're done."

Stephen Strange was nowhere to be found but a man named Wong agreed to step in. He encased Elia in a spinning golden portal. Her reaction was the opposite of Tony's but he could not deny his curiosity.

"It acts like a GPS. We usually use it for time related mishaps but it might just work on space related mishaps," Wong said. Tony bit his lip to keep his questions in. An hour later, Wong was done. "I got a general idea of where she came from. I need to see your machine work."

The machine rumbled pleasantly as it started. Wong opted to stand close to the point of projection. The hole appeared and several golden runes sprung up. For several minutes Wong held still, turning steadily red as he pushed some of the runes through the portal. Someone on the end gasped. Rhodey aimed and fired a black cube clean through, leading to a scream. A woman with white hair and visible bruises came into view.

"Rhaella," Elia whispered.

"Rhaella, close your eyes," Tony said into the speaker. Rhaella's eyes rolled back and she fell. Elia hissed in sympathy.

"Shut it down," Wong said. He was breathing heavily. Tony had to force himself to be patient as Rhodey and Elia helped Wong to a seat. "It's the right universe," he informed them. "Six months back. A two way portal." Wong paused for breath. "The least lethal portal I have ever seen but it comes with setbacks."

Tony's heart sank. "FRI, what was the rate of decay on the cube?" 

"0.0000% percent per millisecond."

Wong shook his head. "That's not it. When she walks through, she'll go back to her twenty-five year old body. Same thing with the kids."

"Their minds too?" Rhodey asked.

"Maybe, maybe not. Thoughts, memories, they move in electric charges."

"I modified their body. Does that change?"

"Did the modifications exist in her twenty-five year old body?"

"It did not," Elia replied quietly.

"Can I take my equipment through to the other side? My suits? Their medicine?"

Wong sighed. "Stark, you don't exist there-"

"But the cube," Tony began.

"Is much smaller than you and made up of the least reactive material on earth," Rhodey cut in.

"We'll keep experimenting then," Tony said. "I have to make sure all three of them are safe."

"Tony, I can't express how grateful I am but you might get hurt," Elia said. "I'll be fine."

"You were burnt alive-"

"I survived that but-"

"What about the Lannisters? What if you try to warn these people about what is going to happen but no one listens?"

Elia had nothing to say for a long moment. Finally she spoke. "My life isn't worth more than yours."

"It is," Tony said firmly.

"No, it isn't," Elia and Rhodey said together. They didn't understand so Tony did not argue. He made calculations and adjustments in his head and let them manhandle Wong out of the labs to one of the rooms.

The next few weeks saw Tony falling back to old habits. He shot bigger and bigger cubes made up of more reactive elements.

"Even if this works," FRIDAY argued on his third day without sleep, "how will you get back?"

"Easy," Tony slurred. "I make it smaller and put in my pocket."

The solution unsurprisingly was Tony's nanobots. "I love you very much," he told a ball he had programmed to act as the infinity battery.

Elia had less patience for Tony's work ethic than Rhodey and hounded him until he could not even retreat into his mind. Aegon gave him the silent treatment when Tony finally emerged but Rhaenys was very happy to see him again. 

"I drew you." The drawing was rather good. It featured Elia and Tony holding hands and the children on either side of them.

"This is very good. You're very talented."

"You're very talented," Aegon mimicked pulling faces.

"That's not very nice," Rhaenys said. Aegon stuck out a tongue and crossed his arms like his mother.

The next day, Tony had breakfast with them before taking a live bunny to the lab. He showed the three of them the butterfly stroke the following Wednesday. On Saturday night, they went out for dinner with Rhodey and Wong.

"I got to see through," Wong explained shrugging.

One day, Tony turned the machine off and went to Elia's new preferred apartment. Rhodey was making dumplings on one half of the stove while Wong made a simple curry on the other.

"Your obsession run out of steam?" Rhodey asked when he saw Tony entering.

"More or less," Tony answered.

He did not return to the labs for weeks, picking up the routine they had going before. At summer's end, Tony got the adults together.

"It's ready," he announced.

"Are you sure?" Rhodey asked.

"I am," Tony answered.

O0O

The portal was large enough to fit two men standing abreast. Elia was wearing the dress she fell through in while Rhaenys and Aegon had some of the clothes Elia had knitted for them over the years. Tony stood behind them in armor. Elia turned around and waved at Rhodey and Wong again. Her face was flushed and she looked heartbroken. Before stepping through, she straightened her back, took a deep breath and started walking.

Tony clenched his fists to distract himself from his fast beating heart. Then he followed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I did my final finals and I had no motivation to write. I split this chapter to two because the next one requires some work.
> 
> Tell me what you think.

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think.


End file.
